Vitola: Double Toro- 6” x 54 ring gauge
- MSRP $2.85
- Samples provided by JC Newman
Background
A few months ago I took a look at the Quorum Havana Q by J.C. Newman and concluded that it was the best of the Quorum lineup, and a genuinely good cigar, but especially so when you consider the price point of less than $3. I had a little bit of an issue with construction, but ended up concluding I would smoke it again, “especially at a time when money was tight.” How was I to know that time would come so soon?
Yes, faithful readers, your fair and objective cigar reviewer has been struck with some hard times as I have made my way through the world. A month ago, I was a partner in a solid marketing company with a bright future ahead. Then we found out that marketing company wasn’t so solid…and the future for it really wasn’t very bright. The creative department of the company was pretty much flushed in a matter of just a few hours. Fortunately, the two of us that had been working together for a while had talked about “the maybe” of this kind of circumstance and it was just a day later when we had a new name and renewed drive to put together a new company to take on the world.
As a result, I’m now a partner in a new marketing company with a pretty incredible range of talent, bound together with a faith in God that He will show the way, and a relentless optimism and drive to succeed. While there will come a day when “money is no object,” right now I need to conserve it…but I still want a cigar and a whiskey once in a while…so it was a good thing J.C. Newman (a sponsor of this blog) sent me some Havana Q Double Toros to take a look at…and that I had some Very Old Barton Bottled In Bond available to pair with it!
As a reminder, Havana Q is a bundle cigar using mixed fillers. It uses Nicaraguan filler and binder, along with an Ecuadorian Habano wrapper. Very Old Barton BIB is one of the cheapest Bourbons I’ve ever had that I find suitable for sipping with a cigar. It retails for about $14 for a 750mL bottle and is 100 proof (like all Bottled in Bond liquors…it’s a legal requirement).
Notes
Let’s be completely upfront and honest…the Havana Q isn’t always completely to my liking. It’s a bit inconsistent from cigar to cigar in terms off construction and flavor…one time the flavor was just so “off” that I opted to toss the cigar after 15 minutes. But that’s part of the game when you’re paying less than $3 a stick. In general, I have found them to be medium in body, slightly sweet and slightly peppery…and still one of the top 3 or 4 “bundle” cigars that I’ve had.
Very Old Barton Bottled in Bond is a remarkable cheap bourbon…really, I can sip it with a $3 stick today and a $25 stick tomorrow (or whenever budget allows for those again), and enjoy it with either.
There are roughly 25 ounces in a 750mL bottle, which translates into 12 “good sized” pours from a bottle, or up to about 16 “standard” 1.5 ounce pours. Split the difference and call it 14 pours from a bottle and each pour of VOB BIB costs roughly $1. So this cigar and whiskey combo retails for less than $5.
Like any 100 proof bonded whiskey, the Very Old Barton is actually high enough proof to stand up to cocktails and retain much of its flavor…or have water added to it to bring the proof down and extend the bottle if money is that dear.
On a personal note, I’m not asking for sympathy or throwing a pity-party with this article. I needed something to write about and this seemed especially timely. I’m convinced this new company is going to be massively successful given a little time to grow.
On a business note, if your company (or the company of a friend) needs digital marketing work done, drop me an email and let’s talk! Some things are easier to make work when companies are local, but there is very little we can’t do for clients 1000 miles away that we can do for those next door.
$5 for a perfectly good cigar and whiskey pairing? Who would have thought that was even possible? But it is! It may not be something you want every day, but if you just feel the need to have some relaxation time and don’t have much money to spend, this pairing is a winner.
